PLA does absorb moisture from the air and it is good practice to keep it in an airtight container with desiccant when not printing. PLA is good for about 6 months before it has to be dried out. If you hear the filament popping and crackling, or see steam when it feeds out of the extruder, your filament will need to be dried out.

PHA gives PLA more flexibility and strength. PLA/PHA is less prone to warping than PLA by itself. It is popular alternative to plain PLA, and can come in a wide variety of colors. Both PLA and PLA/PHA are biodegradable.

Printing Temp: 190 – 210 C Bed Temp: 40 – 70 C

ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene – 3D printing chemestry

As a petroleum-based plastic, ABS requires ventilation to comfortably use. ABS is commonly found in mass-produced toys and car parts. ABS is known for warping, so you will need an aggressive build surface or glue to hold it to the build plate. In my exotic filaments course I discuss how ABS is used with HIPS support material. ABS can be polished with vaporized acetone, but that process carries the risk of explosion.

Print Temp: 230 -250 C Bed Temp: 110 C

HIPS: High Impact Polystyrene – 3D printing chemistry

HIPS

HIPS prints at a similar temperature as ABS. Unlike ABS HIPS can be disolved with an organic solvent, D-limonene. HIPS can be used as a primary filament, or as a support material for ABS. In my course you can learn how to use HIPS as a dissolvable support material.

Print Temp: 230 – 250 C Bed Temp: 110 C

PVA: Polyvinyl Alcohol – 3D printing chemistry

PVA is a water-soluble material, so it is not suited as a primary printing material. PVA is used for printing supports. PVA is great for complex prints that have internal supports that are difficult to remove. Unlike HIPS, it does not require special solvents to remove supports. PVA is used in dishwasher and laundry soap pods because it dissolves in warm water. With PVA you can print supports for complex shapes, than dissolve the supports away with minimal mess compared to HIPS. PVA is often printed as a support material for PLA.

Print Temp: 190 – 220 C Bed Temp: 40 – 70 C

Nylon – 3D printing chemistry

A petroleum-based filament that is popular for industrial uses. There are many different blends of Nylon, so you will have to look at the technical specs of your Nylon before printing. Nylon can be a difficult filament to print in, so practice before printing important parts.

Nylon must be kept in an airtight container with desiccant at all times. Nylon is notorious for absorbing moisture from the air in a short amount of time.

To learn more about the different types of filaments, you can sign up for a course on exotic materials.

This course offers an overview of all the exciting new filaments like wood and conductive PLA’s. When you complete the course, you will receive a signed certificate by Stan, a licensed science teacher.

Stan Baldwin runs a 3D-PT which is a small 3D printing company started by a science teacher with autism. He has a background in CAD and science education, and believes that 3D printing can be used to help the world. 3D-PT develops products for people with autism and other disabilities. 3D-PT is also developing 3D printable products for education. 3D-PT is online at 3dpt.club Twitter: @3dfidgets